


A Closed Loop

by aces_low



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Explicit Language, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, no betas we publish first drafts like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 17:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14289702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aces_low/pseuds/aces_low
Summary: Brad thought it would be weird now that Ray is friends with their old commander. Turns out, it's even worse than he imagined.





	A Closed Loop

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who don't follow me on Tumblr. I took a month off writing to give myself some rest. So, I wanted to come back to writing with just something short and simple, also I'm trying to work on getting better at Brad's POV and this is what I came up with.
> 
>  
> 
> Based on the characters from the HBO series.

"I'm just getting out of my meeting, I'll be there as soon as I can. There’s a key under the mat." Nate's voice is clipped, but Brad is sure his annoyance stems from his own lack of planning, and not because Brad is there, outside Nate's townhouse.

Brad bends and lifts the scratchy Welcome mat to reveal that there is, in fact, a key underneath it. 

"You shouldn't put a key out for everyone to use," Brad says mildly into the receiver.

Nate's sigh is audible even over the phone.

"I'll be there soon," Nate says again, choosing to ignore Brad's comment.

Once they hang up, Brad lets out a sigh of his own. He gazes over at the park across the street, contemplating just going there until Nate returns.

The fact that he's staying with his old lieutenant is something Brad still isn’t exactly comfortable with, but there is no way he's spending his leave sleeping on the beer-stained floor of the suite Ray shares with three other guys. So, he'll take his chances with a few awkward nights.

Brad likes Nate, he respects him, but he'd never expected to start a tentative friendship with the guy after their time in the Marines together.

It's all Ray's fault - as most things in his life tend to be.

Somehow, Ray and Nate landed themselves in the same town, attending the same school. An odd coincidence, but not one that needed to go further than that. Brad isn't sure he'll ever understand their mutual decision to become actual friends, and not keep up their casual acquaintance, in a city large enough to easily keep them apart.

And now, Brad has finally found some time to come visit, and Ray had told him to stay with Nate instead of paying for a hotel room.

"The LT isn't going to want me barging into his place for a weekend, Ray," Brad had argued after Ray had made his suggestion.

"Nate won't mind." Ray had brushed Brad's comment off, it hadn't been the first-time Brad had been struck by how Ray used their old lieutenant's first name with practiced ease.

So, now, he's standing in front of Nate's door, thinking about all the hotels he'd passed in the cab on his way here. But instead of turning around, he unlocks the door and makes his way inside.

He steps into the open kitchen area, which is small but clean, in the way he'd expected from Nate's place.

The island, that seems to double as an eating area as well as counter space, has two barstools tucked neatly into it, creating the illusion of space between it and the living room.

Brad sets his bag down against the back of the couch, looking around for a moment before the muffled sound of running water catches his attention.

His immediate thought goes to a break in, but rules that out - nobody is going to break into someone's house to then use their shower. He then figures it must be a girl. 

Ray hasn't mentioned anything about Nate having a significant other, and Nate hadn't warned him about the possibility of someone being here, so he doubts it's a girlfriend. But he can't imagine Nate would leave a random hookup in his empty apartment, either. Though he is the type of person to put his key under his mat, welcoming anyone and everyone to enter his home, so maybe Brad is wrong in his assumption.

Regardless, whoever this person may be to Nate, them getting out of the shower to see a strange man in the living room can't possibly end well.

He's contemplating the park across the street again when an all too familiar noise hits his ears.

The wailing sound of an intentionally warped version of a Britney Spears song is now drifting from the bathroom. Brad groans, he would know that voice anywhere.

He genuinely considers barging into the bathroom and dragging Ray out by his ear. But dealing with a wet, naked Ray is not worth the hassle.

So, he pulls out one of the barstools and waits.

He's not sure why he hadn't even considered the possibility of Ray breaking in to use Nate's shower. Maybe he'd naively believed that Ray had grown as a person and no longer invaded every inch of his friend's lives anymore. 

He’d known it was a bad idea to come here. Nate had most likely only agreed to let Brad stay with him because Ray hadn't given him the option to say no, or had hounded him until he gave in. 

It doesn't take more than a couple minutes for the water to shut off and the singing to die down. The door opens, and out walks Ray, drying his hair and humming now to the song he'd been singing before.

"You should cover yourself up when you're in someone else's home," Brad says evenly.

He receives the response he'd been hoping for.

Ray throws himself backward, colliding with the hallway wall, and letting out a short yelp. His still wet feet lose any traction he'd had on the wood flooring and his skin makes a smacking noise as he lands on his back with a final wave of his limbs.

"What the fuck?" Ray groans, lifting his head up from the floor enough to look at Brad. 

"I should ask you the same thing," Brad says, getting up to stand over Ray's still prone body.

He bends down to grab the towel that had gone flying during Ray's graceless fall and throws it over his naked groin. 

"What the hell are you doing here when Fick is gone?"

Ray's eyebrows scrunch together before he blinks his confusion away, eyes widening now.

"He told me I could," Ray says, holding the towel over himself as he sits up.

Brad rolls his eyes. "When did he tell you that? Did he let you come over one time and now you've used that one invitation as indefinite approval? Just because I didn't kick you out whenever you did that to me doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Leave Fick alone, Ray, I'm serious."

Ray scoffs as he stands, but isn't able to say anything before the front door slams open and in runs Nate, frazzled in a way Brad hadn't even seen him get in Iraq.

Nate stops short when he takes in the scene. Ray, wet and naked, holding a towel loosely in front of himself, Brad glaring daggers down at him.

They all exchange looks for several seconds before Nate sighs, shoulders slumping, shaking his head and looking down at his feet.

"This really isn't how we wanted to tell you," Nate says, before looking up. His eyes move from Brad to Ray, then his forehead wrinkles in confusion.

Brad looks back down at Ray to see his wide eyes staring hard at Nate like he's the one who'd been walking around naked in Ray's home.

He's just about to tell Ray off, or assure Nate that Ray won't be breaking and entering - and showering - again when Nate's words hit him.

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing," Ray says quickly, though he directs his words right at Nate.

It's disconcerting, watching Ray and Nate have a silent conversation across the room from each other. He knows that's what's happening because he's done the same himself with both of them. He'd never expected to see it happen between the two of them though, and for him to be the odd man out.

He bounces his gaze back and forth, hoping to see something in one of their eyes that tells him what he’s missing. But Nate sighs after another moment and walks back to the door to close it properly.

“Ray, how about you go put some clothes on, then the three of us can talk,” Nate says, taking on the same tone he'd used when he wanted to give an order without making it sound like he was giving an order.

Instead of doing what Nate says, Ray seems to plant his feet. He'd almost look impressively steadfast if not for the fact that his bare ass is still uncovered. 

"We agreed," Nate argues against Ray's silent resistance.

"No, _you decided_ , I never agreed to anything." Ray begins pointing at Nate, before realizing he's still holding onto the towel in his futile attempt at modesty.

"Is this some kind of domestic spat you two are having?" Brad asks, annoyed at how little he understands about what's going on right in front of him. 

It's what he does, or at least what he does with Ray. Tease him and call him out on his obnoxious bullshit to get him back on track to something at least resembling sense. Usually, Ray responds well to it, grinning manically and either playing along or shifting gears. 

This time though, Ray whips his gaze around to Brad, his wide eyes almost panicked.

He turns to Nate, who seems to be trying to read something from him now, his eyes narrowed.

Brad takes a lot of pride in his ability to get a read on a situation, to understand what's going on beneath the surface. So, it's a particular kind of shame in him that it takes as long as it does for the dots to connect in his brain. But when they do, they hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Oh," is all he's able to say at first, once he finally understands what he's witnessing.

Nate watches him carefully, his gaze steady but cautious. Brad doesn't know how Ray is looking at him, because he doesn't turn his head to see.

His mind is running wild, too fast and insubstantial for him to grab ahold of anything to form a complete thought, let alone a complete sentence.

Brad doesn't know what to say or do now. Having Nate's wary eyes on him, and Ray burning a hole in the side of his head makes it even more difficult to organize his thoughts.

"I'm gonna...go for a walk," Brad finally says, thinking maybe fresh air and some time alone will help him make sense of what he’s just learned.

He doesn't wait for either of them to respond before he heads for the door. He thinks he hears Ray's voice saying his name as he shuts the door behind him, but he doesn't turn around to find out if that’s true.

 

It’s a chilly day, not one suited for spending time at a park, so Brad only sees one other person, out walking their dog. He lets his feet take him in wide circles, occasionally scuffing his shoes on the hard dirt and short, new grass beneath him.

Apparently, Ray, the ridiculous RTO who had somehow wormed his way into becoming one of the best friends Brad has ever had, has now somehow wormed his way into their old lieutenant’s bed. It’s not only that though, they’re not just fucking, they’re together, and for whatever reason, that is the hardest part for Brad to wrap his mind around.

 

It can’t be more than ten minutes that he’s out on his walk, sorting through this new information, before he sees Nate crossing the street. His head ducked against the wind, his arms tucked into the pockets of his coat, and his normally smooth gait is faster and heavier now.

Brad sees that same energy in Nate’s scowling face as he approaches.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Nate asks, voice coming out tense and quick, the way it gets when he’s agitated. 

“I needed to take a walk,” Brad says, he’s not sure that needing some time to sort out his thoughts is that big of a deal.

“You never struck me as the homophobic type,” Nate says, shaking his head in disappointment. 

That causes Brad’s eyes to widen. “What?”

Nate just stands up straighter, his stare dark and unwavering.

“I don’t give a shit that you two are into guys,” he assures Nate, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “Ray told me he swings both ways over two years ago.”

Blinking his hard stare away, Nate’s eyes go from angry to confused. “Ray's been worried about telling you for months, I don’t think he remembers that.”

Brad scratches his cheek thinking it over. “Well, he was drunk out of his fucking mind when he told me.”

He’s always assumed they had a silent agreement not to talk about Ray’s interest in guys. They never really talk about his interest in girls either. He could never have imagined that Ray required any kind of approval of him and his sexuality from Brad or anyone else for that matter. Finding out Nate is also into guys is surprising, but not in a way that’s rocked Brad’s view of the world or anything like that.

Nate seems to think Brad’s words over for another moment then huffs impatiently. “Well, then what the hell _is_ your problem?”

“It’s…you two,” is all Brad can think to say. He doesn’t fully understand it himself yet, hence, the walk.

Brad can compartmentalize a lot of shit, it’s how he survives in combat and his life in the military in general. But that often leads to him putting things and ideas and people into certain boxes in his mind. Up until approximately fifteen minutes ago, Josh Ray Person and Nate Fick resided in two very separate and distinct boxes in his mind. 

Nate shakes his head then, crossing his arms and looking down at his feet. Brad has seen Nate angry, he’s seen him frustrated, he’s seen him exhausted and torn down and unsure of himself, so he knows what it looks like when he’s genuinely upset. 

Brad considers apologizing, though he doesn’t exactly know what it’d be for, so instead, he keeps his mouth shut.

“I’m so tired of hearing that,” Nate finally says, after several minutes of silence stretched between them.

“I-“

“Everyone, my friends, _Ray’s_ friends, when we first got together, all had shit to say about how I must be out of my mind. Or they asked if Ray had blackmail material on me or some other bullshit comment like that. I thought at least _you_ would get it. You know him, probably even better than I do still, you understand that Ray isn’t only the face he likes to put on for other people.”

It’s true, Brad enjoys using Ray’s obnoxious persona as his focal point in their friendly banter. Usually, because it had become clear to Brad, early into meeting Ray, that a large part of that was all an act, or at least an exaggeration, of his real self. His real self, who is much smarter and warmer than he wants most people to see. 

Realizing that he’s not the only person who sees those things in Ray, that maybe Nate had also caught onto Ray’s game early on, is enough to shake him out of his closed thought loop. 

“Ok.”

Nate eyes him dubiously. “Ok?”

“I guess I’m going to have to get comfortable with just calling you Nate."

That makes Nate grin, unlocking his arms from around himself.

 

Brad follows Nate back across the street and through the door to see Ray, fully clothed now, seated on the island. 

Ray turns his head to watch Brad as he follows Nate inside. His knuckles make a rhythmic tapping against the laminate countertop, and Brad half expects him to start on a deranged spiel regarding gay sex. Instead, Ray stays silent, his eyes moving back and forth between Nate and Brad, clearly looking for a hint as to how Brad is taking this new information.

“So,” Brad starts, not used to the uneasy silence between the two of them.

“So,” Ray echoes, his knuckles stop their tapping, and he squares his shoulders, bracing himself for a reprimand, so Brad decides to give him one.

“An officer, Ray?” Brad starts, adopting a disgusted tone.

That makes Ray blink in confusion for all of three seconds before a grin slowly spreads across his face.

“You get out of the service and you decide to hook up with a fucking officer? Do you have no self-respect? No pride? Actually, don’t answer that, I already know you don’t.”

Ray’s smile is wicked, his eyes amused, with no hint of the trepidation they’d shown before. 

“Former officer,” Ray makes a point to say. “I guess I grew fond of this one and didn’t trust him out all alone in the real world. Then he got attached, you know how they get.”

He smirks in response, looking over at Nate to catch the end of an eye roll. He doesn’t argue with their teasing at his expense though, just meets Brad’s gaze and nods, gratitude clear in his eyes.

Brad nods in return, before Ray and he continue with their banter, making it all ok, in the best way they know how.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
